Language is composed of signs. Linguistic signs include sounds, gestures or written symbols such as letters, pictures or shapes. When speaking, there is a sender, or a person who is communicating, and a receiver, or the person who is listening. The sender uses these signs to create a specific message. The important and puzzling piece about these signs is that they are arbitrary, meaning they were created at a point in time but did not always exist, and then attached to a meaning.
Each sign in language has a specific meaning. If speaking, gesturing or writing a sign could mean more than one thing at a time, the receiver of the message would be confused about what the sender was trying to say. Although the signs are arbitrary, connecting them to a specific meaning allows humans to use these signs to express concrete thoughts, ideas and observations. The study of relating a sign to a meaning is called semantics.
The code of a language refers to the way signs and meanings are arranged through vocabulary and grammar. Through vocabulary and grammar, meaningful thoughts are combined into sentences, which can be made into paragraphs, speeches, conversations and other complex linguistic events. Syntax is another important event in language and refers to inflection. Using different inflections in their voices, two people can say the same thing while referring to two very different thoughts or emotions. One example of this is "I love your dress" said first in a straightforward manner and second with a sarcastic tone.
While all languages are said to be made up of these three fundamental characteristics, different cultures use language in entirely unique ways. Languages evolve constantly as the population of a culture evolves - new words are added, old words are removed and the words that already exist in that language are used in new ways. The way a community uses the language available to it distinguishes that culture from others and creates a sense of pride and unity.